Doctor Who - Welcome To The Whoniverse (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

It's November and that officially means that it's the month of Doctor Who. 

Strap in, because there's a lot to cover here. It's gonna be a fun time.

BBC iPlayer have kitted out an entire Whoniverse section for fans (UK mainly, boo rights issues) to enjoy multiple eras concerning the show.

This includes ....

Doctor Who (1963-1996)*

Doctor Who (2005-2022)

Tales Of The TARDIS

Doctor Who Confidential 

Torchwood

The Sarah Jane Adventures

Class

K9 & Company: A Girl's Best Friend 

Doctor Who: The Infinity Quest

Doctor Who: Dreamland

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And The Legendary Tapes

The Science Of Doctor Who

Doctor Who At The Proms

Whose Doctor Who

An Adventure In Space And Time (coming soon)

A fantastic selection with over 800 hours worth of content. Sadly due to a certain petty manchild, An Unearthly Child is omitted from this otherwise impressive amount of content. Also keep an eye on a 75 minute colourised version of The Daleks, due to air on BBC4 on November 23rd.

Released this morning, we got the six part series called Tales Of The TARDIS. An interesting format in which former Doctors and companions reminisce over past adventures within the confines of a memory TARDIS. 

Steven Taylor (Peter Purves)/Vicki Pallister (Maureen O'Brien) - The Time Meddler.

Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines)/Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) - The Mind Robber

Jo Jones (Katy Manning)/Clyde Langer (Daniel Anthony) - The Three Doctors

Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)/Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) - Earthshock

Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)/Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) - Vengeance On Varos

Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)/Ace McShane (Sophie Alfred) - The Curse Of Fenric

Having seen most of these scenes through certain means, I will admit they're all brilliant. Expertly written by Russell T. Davies, Pete McTighe and Phil Ford and directed by Scott Handcock, it's a wonderful concept and one I hope is revisited with other former Doctors, companions and spin off characters. 

Meanwhile SFX Magazine have all the goods in relation to the 60th anniversary specials and beyond that. A 28 page special with Russell T. Davies spilling the beans over some very interesting stuff.

In relation to the anniversary specials, we can expect a flashback to the original Toymaker (Michael Gough) himself, Wild Blue Yonder being "weird" and "the most astonishing barricade you'll ever see". The three specials are not a three parter and while there are plans for spin-off's, a UNIT one isn't one of them. As for beyond, ooh, there's a lot to get excited for.

In a move that will be stoking debate for years to come, expect a number resetting with Ncuti Gatwa's first two series being referred to as Season 1 and 2. Russell T. Davies also confirmed his plans for four series of Doctor Who with stories he's been wanting to tell for 40-20 years and even yesterday so to speak. The first episode will also feature nine babies as part of its plot. 

However with filming for Series 15/Season 2 now started, some guest cast have already been spotted on set. Filming for Christmas 2024 has revealed both Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton) and Joel Fry (Game Of Thrones, Cruella) both on set. Nicola Coughlan already appeared with Ncuti Gatwa in Barbie this year and was rumoured for the show for a while now. Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday has yet to be confirmed for the second series for the 15th Doctor. 

Also be sure to catch David Tennant on BBC4 tonight in Talking Doctor Who with the 60th Anniversary Concert, hosted by Jo Wiley while the show will have a crossover with Bargain Hunt on November 23rd. Not to mention that Series 4 marathon this weekend on BBCAmerica and there's this year's Children In Need on November 17th, which will feature a new sketch for David Tennant's 14th Doctor. 

It really is the bestest time to be a Doctor Who fan.

The 60th anniversary specials will air on BBC1 and stream on Disney+ from November 25th to December 9th as well as getting physical releases from December 11th.

Doctor Who - Top 50 Companions: Part 10

It's my final blog of my Top 50 Companions of Doctor Who and here are the Top 5. Enjoy folks.

1: TARDIS (Suranne Jones/Various Props)

Remember back in Rose when Cliven told a certain Miss Tyler that the Doctor's constant companion was death? Yeah, well he was a bit wide off the mark, there. The Doctor's actual constant companion is the TARDIS. Type 40. The Blue Box. Sexy. Whatever you want to call her and while recent episodes such as The Doctor's Wife and Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS have given us more details, it's always been the Doctor and the bestest spaceship in the world as constant companion. Now whether they mutually stole each or Clara introduced them is totally up to you but either way, the TARDIS is the best companion ever.

2: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen)

If it were not for a certain blue box, then everyone's favourite investigative journalist would've been the number one companion. Still in terms of human companions though, she is, so that's good right? Sarah Jane is everything you'd want in a best mate, a travelling buddy and a female heroic character in general. It might have taken over three decades but spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures more than demonstrated why she deserves to be seen as the most iconic companion the show has ever produced.

3: Ace McShane (Sophie Aldred)

Oh Ace- you really did live up to your name, didn't you? In some ways without this character, we might not have had future companions like Rose Tyler and Amy Pond (both of whom have some similarities to Ace) and without her around, the Seventh Doctor probably would've been done for many times over. A passionate, flighty teenage girl with a expertise in Nitro-9, the character was a joy to watch develop over the final years of the Classic Series.

4: Brigadier Sir Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney)

Like Sarah Jane, the Brigadier not only has the fortune to have seen and worked with many versions of the Doctor but has worked brilliantly with nearly all of them, though his rapport with both the Second and Third Doctors have always been the most sublime to watch. A military man he might have been but not adverse to actually taking on some of the Doctor's more outlandish of ideas when the situation called for it, he's another deserved icon of the series. Five rounds rapid.

5: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines)

The finest Scots person that ever surfaced on Doctor Who (though Amy is very close too). Jamie has appeared in the most amount episodes, proved that both historical and male companions worked with aplomb and it's really hard to imagine the Second Doctor without Jamie, isn't it? A wonderful companion who never gets dull to watch.

Doctor Who Proms is on Monday 4pm on BBC1 from August 26th.

The Sarah Jane Adventures - CBBC Wanted A Gay Character

You heard right. In relation to the no longer with us The Sarah Jane Adventures wanted a gay character and the character in question ...

Luke Smith as played by Tommy Knight (who is now a regular in Waterloo Road). In the commentary for the story Death Of The Doctor on The Green Death Special Edition DVD it seems that Luke's friend Sanjay (mentioned in the story) would've been revealed as Luke's boyfriend and according to writer Joseph Lidster, the fourth series opening story The Nightmare Man would've had a line where Luke might have suggested his preference for men as well but it was cut at the last minute.

I have to admit there were times in the show when I did wonder a bit about Luke so the fact that CBBC themselves were keen on having a gay character on The Sarah Jane Adventures is rather encouraging. Perhaps maybe we'll eventually see one in the likes of Wizards Vs. Aliens or Wolfblood or something else down the line but either way, it's an interesting reveal and a further example of how The Sarah Jane Adventures really was ahead of other shows in it's genres.

More Information: http://blogtorwho.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/cbbc-wanted-sja-gay-character.html

The Green Death Special Edition is available on DVD from August 5th.

Companion Diversity

So, it's been a month since the announcement of Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new companion and while we'll have to wait another month before she starts filming and we learn her character's name, one criticism of her casting that has gotten my back up is this little groanworthy gem ...

Ugh, another 20 something girl. When will New Who show some diversity?

Except, in the course of seven series we have had some diversity actually. In fact, going down the list of regular and recurring companions we've had since 2005, it's been something like this ...

Female (20s): Rose, Martha, Amy and Clara.
Female (30s/Over): Donna, River, Sarah Jane.
Male (20s): Mickey, Rory.
Male (30s/Over): Jack, Wilfred.

And something like this ....

POC: Martha, Mickey, River (as Mels).
LGBT: Jack, River (arguably), Vastra, Jenny.
Couples/Marriages: Rose/Mickey, Rose/Doctor (arguably), Martha/Mickey, Amy/Rory, River/Doctor, Vastra/Jenny.
Families/Relatives: Rose/Jackie, Martha/Mickey, Donna/Wilfred, Amy/Rory/River.
Non Humans: Vastra, Strax.

In terms of diversity, New Who has actually been pretty good and while I do hope that future series and showrunners do feature more companions who are older, POC, LGBT or from the past/non Earth related, I think the criticism of another 20 something girl being the next companion is a bit childish though. And besides, why don't we wait until Christmas to see how JLC fares and who she's playing? Maybe her character will be a lesbian for all we know or from the past or an alien. Anything can happen on this show. Isn't that part of the reason why we watch it?

Top 40 TV Characters Part 6

And here is the sixth part of this list. I was going to leave it until next week but now seems like a good time to post it.

11: Simon Bellamy (Iwan Rheon) - Misfits

In the first series, he was a weird sociopathic kid who murdered a probation officer (kind of standard in relation to this show) while the second and third series, he became a futuristic hero and had a timey-wimey relationship with Alisha that could outshine the Doctor and River's too. Weirdness aside, Simon was definitely someone you wanted as an ally rather than an enemy.


12: Merlin (Colin Morgan) - Merlin

Merlin has always been an interesting show to watch because for the most part, I've never had a definitive favourite character but for the intent and purpose of this list, I weighed up all the main characters and ultimately found myself picking the title character. What can I say? Merlin the character has for the most part grown throughout the four series we've seen and continues to intrigue at every turn.

13: Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) - Torchwood

Oh, Jack. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if having a spin-off has enhanced the character or sort of ruined him a bit. Jack works better as a more campy action hero than an intense, Doctor-like brooder at times and somewhere between the last two series of Torchwood, I think RTD lost sight of that. Still apart from a certain Time Lord, he's still one of the most unconventional leading male characters on a sci-fi/fantasy programme and that alone means he deserves to be on my list.

14: Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) - Angel

The most unbridled, meanest character on television or at least during her Sunnydale days anyways, though she still had her moments in LA. I'm going to be brutally honest - Cordelia was the best bloody thing about Angel and I hate the fact that we ended up losing her in favour of Spike in the show's last season and similarly uninteresting characters like Eve and Illyria as well. The comics tried a bit to redress the balance but Cordelia was the heart and soul of that show.

15: Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) - The Sarah Jane Adventures

No list would be complete without the most iconic companion featuring on it and let's face it - Sarah Jane Smith is a bloody icon. This woman has seen most of the Doctors incarnations, has fought many a monster whilst travelling with the Time Lord and with her own team in Bannerman Road. Elisabeth Sladen may sadly no longer be with us but her iconic character will long live in people's hearts.

Part 7 will be up early next week.

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Season 5 On BBC1

Yes, Series 5 may have done the rounds on the CBBC last month but we did miss out on a BBC1 transmission. Well, now the fifth and final season of the show will air on BBC1, Thursdays and Fridays at 4.30pm from November 10th, so if you haven't seen Sky, The Curse Of Clyde Langer and The Man Who Never Was, there's a second chance to do so.

My Review of The Sarah Jane Adventures 5x03: "The Man Who Never Was"

Written by Gareth Roberts
Directed by Joss Agnew

Sarah Jane: “I’m gonna stop this. I’m gonna stop you.”
Harrison: “Oh, what are you gonna do? Hit me with your handbag?”

And so it is – the last ever story for this series. I’ve been looking forward to and dreading this story in equal measures, once again being reminded of the tragic passing of Elisabeth Sladen but also wondering and hoping that this story would be a good send off for the character of Sarah Jane Smith and the wonderful woman who played her.

You know what? I shouldn’t have worried because while this isn’t an epic finale, it’s a story that perfectly captured everything about the series and a story that does the opposite of what a series finale does. And unlike the recent season ender of Torchwood, the last scene will not have you wanting to bang your head against a wall in frustration.

Gareth Roberts comes up with a simple but so well executed storyline with plenty of nice surprises to keep the momentum going. In stories of the past, the Serf board/portable laptop that was about to go worldwide would’ve been an elaborate scheme to take over the world but here, they really are just laptops.

You have to admire the sheer cheek of Clyde and Rani initially wondering if Mr Smith has been affected by the portable laptop itself because he managed to put them both in their place but it was a fair question that needed addressing. Similarly the board’s creator Joseph Serf would’ve been the main villain of the piece, maybe even alien.

In this story, he’s merely a hologram for a far nastier piece of work and the real Joseph Serf’s whereabouts are actually unknown. If I was going down the theory mode, then a part of me would assume that Mr Harrison had disposed of him in some way but maybe he didn’t. Either way, we’ll never know what really happened to Joseph Serf but there were also more important bits to be getting on with, story wise.

Namely Sarah Jane and the gang stopping Mr Harrison, who didn’t so much want to take over the universe but had great pleasure in exploiting the alien aspect of it for his own good. I don’t want to use ‘saving the best for last’ but Harrison genuinely was a nasty piece of work when it came to villainous human characters on this show.

His complete and total callous treatment of the Skullions (whom he forced to maintain the presence of Joseph Serf’s existence via hologram) was more shocking than his utter willingness to kill Sarah Jane. I literally wanted to jump the air when he got his comeuppance but I get the impression that whatever punishment the Skullions subject to him on their home world, it won’t be anywhere near as terrible as the way he threatened their lives and abused their talents as a race.

With Harrison being the very worst of humanity in this story, it was nice to have Adriana stepping up as the best of it. Sure, the Skullions had no choice but to lock her up but I liked that she didn’t need Sarah Jane’s influence to have compassion towards them. I also found it rather interesting that Sarah Jane recommended her to go and see UNIT as a future career choice but it felt more natural than the last time the Doctor did it to be honest.

As for Luke and Sky, I have to praise the series for the realistic way in which it handled the transition. Luke went through the motions of feeling replaced by Sky and even being impatient with her before his ‘protective big brother’ instincts took over. Similarly, Sky did come across as the mischievous younger sibling before she also became more sensitive to Luke’s feelings. It’s too bad that we’re not going to see anymore of this.

Clyde and Rani – or Clani as Luke called them (since when was Luke into shipper names?) were also on fine form. They went from feeling a little excluded from the main adventure to being instrumental in taking down Harrison and even if they were faking it, they do make for a rather nice married couple, don’t they?

Of course the biggest highlight of this story wasn’t the mission of the week – it was the overwhelming sense of family. Over the course of five series we’ve had Sarah Jane, Kelsey (briefly), Maria, Luke, Mr Smith, K9, Alan, Chrissie, Rani, Haresh, Gita, the Brigadier, both the 10th and 11th Doctors, Jo, Santiago and Sky and it’s been a rewarding experience seeing the characters flourish.

Sarah Jane’s closing narrative about her life on Earth being an adventure and the joys of family might not be new for the series but it’s one repetition I will never have an issue with as a viewer. The closing montage of “And The Story Goes On Forever” was arguably the best coda this series could’ve ended with.

Also in “The Man Who Never Was”

This was actually the finale intended for Series 5. If circumstances had been different, there would’ve three other stories preceding it.

Joseph: “Do you want to see tomorrow today?”

Even though he will no longer be voicing Mr Smith, Alexander Armstrong has been confirmed as one of the guest stars for this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special.

Sarah Jane (to Luke/Sky/Clyde/Rani, re top journalist): “I mean me. What do you think pays for all of this, taking in washing?”

Sky: “What’s a typewriter?”
Lionel: “Goodness, make me feel more old fashioned.”
Sarah Jane: “Oh, you were already old fashioned when I was new fangled.”

I got the impression that Lionel was being set up as a possible love interest for Sarah Jane had the series gone further and circumstances been different.

Sarah Jane: “I haven’t eaten any nuts.”
Harrison: “Well you might have been in a nutty environment.”

Rani (re Serf Board): “It needs a delicate touch.”
Clyde: “Well, I’m delicate. In a manly way. I’ve got artist fingers.”

Clyde and Rani posed as Janet and Trevor Sharpe for the Twilight Years magazine. Nothing to do with sparkly vampires for a change. Oh and I liked the mention of Ellie in this one as well.

Sky: “That’s my phone.”
Luke: “Welcome to the club. I’ve had seven phones in the last two years.”

Clyde: “The cavalry’s coming and it’s me and the missus.”

Doctor Who Magazine this month has a wonderful issue dedicated to Elisabeth Sladen, including a last ever interview, shortly before her death.

Sarah Jane: “I’ve seen amazing things out there in space but strange things can happen wherever you are. I know that life on Earth can be an adventure too. In all the universe, I never expected to find a family.”

Chronology: I’m uncertain as to when this is based in 2011 but Sky has definitely been with Sarah Jane for a while.

As a final story, “The Man Who Never Was” may seem a little small for a last dance for Sarah Jane Smith but as the ending says on screen, the story really does go on forever. It’s been an amazing five series and it’s a shame that it’s no more but as a final outing to both Elisabeth Sladen and her iconic companion; this is one fitting and beautiful tribute.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Doctor Who - Christmas 2011 Updates

The Christmas special is done and dusted and here are some updates on it.

Alexander Armstrong tweeted this filming picture with him and Matt Smith and it's turned out that his character is an RAF Officer named Reg Arwell. So, presumably that means that Madge (Claire Skinner) isn't a widow after all. Both Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir's characters have been confirmed as Mysterious Harvesters A and B so far. Whether that means they're good or bad is unknown.

Another filming picture of the Doctor and Madge Arwell. The Doctor's wearing a space suit, including the helmet backwards. Before the Christmas special, there's also a new video game on the BBC site from late October called The Gunpowder Plot with the Doctor/Amy/Rory battling Sontarans/Rutans and meeting Guy Fawkes. Ralf Little and Emilia Fox are amongst the cast for it.
Meanwhile DWM have their tribute issue for actress Elisabeth Sladen ready for October 20th. The issue will interview the likes of Tom Baker, David Tennant, Matt Smith and many more on the late actress and this week coming is also the airing of the final story for The Sarah Jane Adventures called The Man Who Wasn't There.
Last but not least, the complete sixth series of Doctor Who will be getting it's release on November 21st. There are supposed to be commentaries for the episodes The Impossible Astronaut, The Doctor's Wife, The Rebel Flesh, A Good Man Goes To War and The Wedding Of River Song as well as condensed versions of Confidentials, the prequels, the Comic Relief scenes, trailers, four Monster Files (Silence/Gangers/Antibodies/Cybermats), A Night's Tale and five new scenes as well.

The Christmas special airs on Christmas Day. Times have yet to be confirmed.

My Review of The Sarah Jane Adventures 5x02: "The Curse Of Clyde Langer"

Written by Phil Ford
Directed by Ashley Way

Clyde (re begging): “You do this every day? Even in the rain?”
Ellie: “You’re hungry, I’m hungry. It’s either this or going through bins. I’ve done that too.”

I’ve said it enough times about this show and I’ll say it again – it doesn’t matter how much this show is billed as a kids series, it’s just amazing how much it refuses to dumb things down for the younger audiences. Even the topic of homelessness (which I wasn’t expecting to see here) is handled in a realistic manner without being patronising to the core audience.

Homelessness is always going to an issue in society and this story nicely highlighted that it’s a fate that can fall on anyone from any kind of a background. Ellie Faber explained that rather succinctly to Clyde when she took him to a soup kitchen because for this story alone, Clyde became a victim of society turning it’s back on him.

Daniel Anthony has always been one of the best things about this series and Clyde has certainly progressed as a character throughout the five series we’ve had and here is the story which really did him justice both for his acting abilities and his character too. Who would’ve thought the whole world would turn against Clyde Langer?

It’s exactly what they did do though and all because Clyde happened to get a nasty splinter of a totem pole of the god Hetocumtek in a museum and it was certainly an effective curse. I think having it set into place the moment his name was mentioned was actually really clever but led to a series of mishaps for Clyde.

His scene with Sarah Jane where she was admiring his drawing and then soured towards him after his name was mentioned was interesting. Even I got a little upset for Clyde when she turned on him for his friendly teasing of Luke and then forced him to leave her house. Of course the other two important people in his life quickly followed.

Rani launched into a tirade about how much she hated him and Haresh seemed to have a certain glee in excluding him from school (either that or I’ve been seeing Ace Bhatti too much as Yusef in EastEnders nowadays) as well but having even Carla turn on Clyde seemed to hammer home the most how bad things were for him.

I guess the least was that Steve fella who we only met here but it was nice that Clyde actually tried to find out about the curse with the totem pole before Dr Madigan turned on him as well. In the end, the only person Clyde had in his corner from his point of view was Ellie and that was because she didn’t know his name.

I liked the connection that Clyde forged with Ellie in this one. He showed her kindness earlier in the episode by giving her money for a sandwich but didn’t seem too sympathetic to her plight until he was put in the same position and got a better understanding. It also helped tremendously that Lily Loveless had such a good rapport with Daniel Anthony as well for this story.

I’m not sure if the romantic subplot between Clyde and Ellie was actually needed but it worked nicely enough too because it was subtle and the actors played well with each other. I also have to admit that I was relieved when Ellie’s talk of the Night Dragon actually turned out to be something more helpful to the homeless than harmless. I still have memories of homeless people on another show winding up as Cybermen.

I also hope that the incident with the Night Dragon meant that Ellie got a better life than the one she was enduring on the streets but it’s a shame that she’s gone too. I quite liked the character and it was nice to have seen Clyde forge a connection with someone who wasn’t in the Bannerman Road gang.

Of course Ellie wasn’t the only person that was in Clyde’s corner. I don’t give a monkey’s how ‘Mary Sue’ it was but I actually liked the fact that Sky was unaffected by the curse too and quickly realised how it was being triggered. Even if she is an alien, it’s nice to see her figuring things out and being helpful and if it wasn’t for her, then Clyde never would’ve been able to defeat Hetocumtek.

The defeat of the god seemed a lot simpler by comparison to everything else that actually happened in the story but it’s a minor quibble for such a quality story. It’s also wonderful to see (when he’s not being shunned) hoe well this new team of sorts are banding together. It actually feels like Sky has always been a part of the gang in a way, doesn’t it?

Also in “The Curse Of Clyde Langer”

The episode opened with Clyde asking a question about the storm of trout and it turned out he was asking the question to Ellie. Also, I liked the change of cliff hanger moment at the end of the first part. It definitely suited the tone of the story.

Clyde (to Ellie): “Where were you the day of the storm? You know the one I mean. No-one’s ever gonna forget that.”

One again, this episode played on Clyde’s drawing talents, including a moment where him and Ellie thought to make money from it.

Haresh: “Excuse me, Sarah Jane, Sky. Some of our pupils have an overdeveloped sense of humour.”

Sky: “I love this planet. Just when you think you get fish in the sea, then they start coming out from the sky.”

I know with the cuts to the BBC that most kids programming has been relegated to the digital channels but it is a shame this series isn’t airing on BBC.

Sky: “So what’s in a museum?”
Rani: “Dead things mostly.”

Sky (re totem pole): “Isn’t it pretty?”
Rani: “I think the word you’re looking for is creepy.”

This story did actually state how natural it is for some fish to actually fall out of the sky if they’re caught up in a tornado but not fish as big as trout though.

Clyde: “This is crazy.”
Sarah Jane: “You want crazy, I’ll give you crazy.”

Sky (to Sarah Jane): “Why do I have to be brave at school? Will people try to hurt me there?”

We found out from Rani that her parents met in a museum and why was Luke (not seen on screen) affected by the curse as well if Sky wasn’t?

Ellie (to Clyde): “If you had a row with your folks, go home. With any luck, you’ll be nice and warm in bed tonight.”

Mystic Mags: “Something bad is coming?”
Clyde: “You mean like the Night Dragon?”

Mystic Mags was played by Angela Pleasance who played Liz the first in “The Shakespeare Code”.

Rani (to Haresh, re Clyde): “I don’t know. It’s like something’s wrong. It feels like I’ve lost something really special and I don’t know what it is.”

Sarah Jane: “None of this makes sense, Sky.”
Sky (re Clyde): “You turning your back on him doesn’t make sense. Even his mum’s thrown him out.”

Clyde’s opening narration has been tweaked a little to talk about Sky. He referred to her as Sarah Jane’s adopted daughter.

Clyde (to Hetocumtek): “My name is Clyde Langer.”

Chronology: Not sure how much time has passed since “Sky” to be honest but I don’t think it’s been a lot.

I think as a story, “The Curse Of Clyde Langer” really is a personal best for the series. It might not have focused on the alien in question as heavily but what we got here was a fantastic character piece for Clyde and with one more story to go, this show will be a loss to TVs everywhere.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Sarah Jane Adventures 5x01: "Sky"

Written by Phil Ford
Directed by Ashley Way

Sarah Jane (to Sky): “Yes, this is your home for as long as you want it to be.”

Okay, to get the elephant out of the review first – I have to admit that reviewing this story (as well as watching it) was something of a strange experience. It’s been nearly six months since the tragic death of Elisabeth Sladen and when watching this story, it’s hard not to note that a new chapter within the show’s history will now never be completed.

Of course that doesn’t stop this from being a wonderful opening story for the fifth and final series but it’s also a case of ‘we’ve done this before’ with the titular character of this story. Sky in a lot of ways is a new version of Luke.

She’s an alien designed as a weapon that is then neutralised (shades of Melody Pond to an extent too) and also one that Sarah Jane ends up taking in by the end of this story. Unlike Luke though, she actually does spend the first half of this story as a baby before being turned into a twelve year old girl.

Sky’s arrival was definitely not a coincidence in many ways. Apart from the cryptic cameo appearance from the Captain and the Shopkeeper at the end of the story alluding to Sky purposely being sent to Sarah Jane to look after, there’s also the fact that our regular kids have grown up.

The show has made no effort in denying it. Luke’s off on his own adventures in college and we got a brief snap of Sarah Jane feeling lonely without him and Clyde and Rani have both matured over the last couple of seasons as well. Having a baby land on Sarah Jane’s doorstep really was a blessing for her and the series in it’s own right as well.

Sky might not have shown the kind of intelligence that Luke is blessed with but the way that both her laughing and crying has a means of causing chaos was definitely fun to watch, especially when Gita herself at the end of the story showed some surprising suspicion to the older version of Sky as well. I’m beginning to wonder if this means some trouble ahead in the next two stories as well.

Of course, getting back to the weapon element of Sky – just like Luke, poor Sky had the misfortune of having another rubbish mother/creature in the form of Miss Myers. I’ll keep it blunt – Myers is an alright adversary but there’s very little than seems to distinguish from the likes of Miss Wormwood. In fact, you could easily argue that she’s little more than a carbon copy of the character.

Myers mission as a member of the Fleshkind (the same species as Sky) was to wipe out her enemies, the Metalkind by using Sky as a bomb and the arrival of a Metalkind on Earth and the Sarah Jane gang more or less put the kibosh into her grand scheming to an extent, even though Myers certainly did her best to also use the Earth as the same place where the Metalkind would perish as well.

I knew that throughout the episode and with the amount of time that the grown up Sky had spent with Sarah Jane, Clyde and Rani that their influence would end up saving the day. Sky absorbed the energy to save the day and also managed to deactivate herself as a bomb but with some spark left in her too.

As for Myers – not too surprised that the Metalkind was able to transport her back to it’s planet and if this show had made further stories, I would easily bet that Miss Myers would’ve been brought back. Sure, she seemed to be happy to dump Sky when the girl was neutralised but she would’ve changed her mind at a later date. That’s an obvious guarantee.

As for the new dynamic between Sarah Jane and Sky – it should definitely be an interesting one to watch in the next two stories. Sky might have a lot to learn about being a twelve year old girl on Earth but she certainly knows where her loyalties lie. Her deliberate defiance of Sarah Jane’s order at the power station was indicative of her own desires to help out and it will be interesting to see Luke cope with a younger sister as well.

Clyde and Rani meanwhile were great with both Sarah Jane and Sky as well as contributing to defeating Myers as well but as they are getting older, is part of Sky’s introduction a way of telling us that they might have left the series after this season? I guess we’ll never really know now, will we?

Also in “Sky”

You can tell it’s this show because the episode opened with another monologue of Sarah Jane discussing how life on Earth can be an adventure. I still like them though.

Sarah Jane: “Life here can be an adventure too but after all my adventures, the last thing I expected was a family and that’s been the most amazing adventure of them all.”

This story along with the remaining two - “The Curse Of Clyde Langer” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There” were filmed along with Series 4.

Sarah Jane (re Sky): “A teenager I can handle but a baby, an alien baby, I need help.”
Rani: “Don’t look at me.”
Clyde: “Or me, obviously.”

Miss Myers: “Don’t worry baby, mummy’s coming to get you.”

The guy who played Caleb (the main fella under Myers influence) also appeared in Torchwood’s “Captain Jack Harkness”

Professor Rivers: “Wait for me, I’m in wellingtons.”

Miss Myers: “Get in if you want the child to live.”
Clyde: “Who are you?”
Miss Myers: “I’m her mother.”

Nice mention of the Doctor in this episode but no mention of K9? What is the metal dog up to nowadays?

Clyde: “Typical. I’m in the middle of a nuclear station and I’m carrying baby bang-bang.”

Metalkind: “I am too late.”
Miss Myers: “Face your destruction, Metalkind, the child is your doom.”
Sky: “What’s happening to me?”

Clyde gave Sky the nickname of ‘Sparky’ and we learned that both the Fleshkind and Metalkind have planets located in the Tornado Nebula.

Sky: “Everything is so green.”
Rani: “This is England. It rains most of the time.”

Sarah Jane (to Caleb): “Good, now take me to your leader.”

I have to admit that I love the friendship between Sarah Jane and Celeste Rivers that’s been developing over the last few series. Nice use of the professor in this one too.

Sarah Jane: “You’re wasting your time; I will never give you Sky.”
Miss Myers: “It doesn’t matter. The child is primed to activate on the vast energy of the Metalkind.”

Rani: “Did you just see that?”
Clyde: “Yeah, I reckon Sparky hasn’t totally lost her spark.”

Chronology: I’m assuming it’s set within 2011 but I’m not sure how much time has passed since “Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith”.

For an opening story, “Sky” might have been familiar ground rethreaded on once again but it was genuinely hard not to love the story for it’s merits. A great introduction for the character of Sky (both her and Luke really could pass for siblings), nice character moments and personally, I can’t wait for the last two stories.

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Season 5 Cast Pictures

We've got less than a week to go but finally, cast shots of the fifth and final series of The Sarah Jane Adventures have been released ...

Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen): She may have lost Luke to university (in a way) but Sarah Jane is about to become a mother for the second time when Sky comes into her life.

Luke Smith (Tommy Knight): he may be in university but Luke will definitely be present for the last three stories of the show's fifth year, especially as he's put in the position of older brother.

Sky Smith (Sinead Michael): Newcomer Sky starts off as an alien baby and then becomes a lot older as she makes her debut in the first story, Sky.

Clyde Langer (Daniel Anthony): Clyde is also getting older but he takes centre stage in the second story, The Curse Of Clyde Langer when the theme of homelessness is explored in the series. But all isn't as it seems.

Rani Chandra (Anjli Mohindra): Like Clyde, she's definitely getting older and moving away from school but I'm not sure what her role this season is to be honest.

Meanwhile although three stories were filmed (i.e. six episodes), the last one, The Man Who Wasn't There was actually the finale intended for Series 5, so it should give the series a sense of closure. It's certainly not going to be easy watching these episodes but as a final tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, I have no doubt they will be worth it.

Season 5 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQoaWFyH3pk

Series 5 of The Sarah Jane Adventures will air Mondays/Tuesdays on CBBC at 5.15pm from October 3rd.

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Season 5 Trailer

CBBC have unveiled their autumn schedule and the fifth and final season of The Sarah Jane Adventures is of course one of the highlights. The 15 second trailer, featuring clips of the last three stories - Sky, The Curse Of Clyde Langer and The Man Who Wasn't There hasn't confirmed a date for the show's return but it's likely to be October and probably a week or two after the second half of Series 6 of Doctor Who finishes up.

Season 5 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0Ty1YE_byc&feature=related

Season 5 should air in October on CBBC and BBC1. Season 4 (along with Pyramid Of Mars as an extra bonus) will be released on October 31st.

Top TV Pairings Part 6

And here's the sixth part of my TV Pairings ...

Ashes To Ashes - Alex Drake/Gene Hunt

Bollyknickers and the Guv to me were something of a sharper pairing than Gene and Sam from time to time and the show wasn't particularly subtle with the brewing attraction between them, it was fantastic to watch.

Torchwood - Captain Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones

While some of the more voracious of Janto fans can actually be off-putting to this ship, like many, I did fall in love with Jack and Ianto's relationship and was saddened to see it end during the events of the third season. Still, it was good while it lasted though.

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Clyde Langer/Rani Chandra

Okay, so these two technically haven't or have yet to become romantically involved but as a pairing, it's hard to deny that Rani and Clyde do have some wonderful potential though and they were seemingly getting closer in the fourth season of the show.

Angel - Angel/Cordelia Chase

The hell with Buffy/Angel or Buffy/Spike. The coolest Whedonverse coupling (of sorts) were Angel and Cordelia. Those two definitely brought something out of each other. Too bad Joss Whedon didn't man up and deliver more on it.

Sherlock - Sherlock Holmes/John Watson

No, I don't believe they're gay for each other but the relationship between Sherlock and Watson has been the most defining and important one, regardless of the various interpretations we've had with them and the newest version with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman is no different in that regard.

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Season 5 Episode Titles

With three stories filmed prior to the death of leading star, Elisabeth Sladen, the BBC have announced that the six episodes/three stories that were filmed for the show's fifth season will air in October 2011 both BBC1 and CBBC. According to DWM, the stories are titled Sky, The Curse Of Clyde Langer and The Man Who Wasn't There. While the first two stories were written by Phil Ford, the last one was written by Gareth Roberts and the only one that sees Tommy Knight reprising his role as Luke Smith. Guest stars for the series include Peter Bowles, Christine Stephen-Daly and James Dreyfuss. More details soon to follow.

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Season 5 Update

I should've mentioned this last week but it seems that contrary to some initial reports, the BBC will not be filming any additional episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures fifth season, following the death of actress Elisabeth Sladen.

Instead they will however air the six episodes that were already filmed later in the year. A time and date has yet to be confirmed.

My Sarah Jane – A Tribute To Elisabeth Sladen

Sarah Jane: “Don’t forget me.”
The Doctor: “Oh, Sarah, don’t you forget me.”

It took me a while to watch this tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, who sadly passed away four days before transmission of the sixth series of Doctor Who but congrats to CBBC for coming up with a lovely tribute to the late actress in such short notice.

A host of different people that the actress worked with contributed to this 15 minute programme – recent Doctors such as David Tennant and Matt Smith, former companion actress Katy Manning, Lis’s younger co-stars Daniel Anthony, Tommy Knight and Anjili Mohindra as well as John Barrowman and Russell T. Davies.

The tribute gave up some of the best clips from Sarah Jane’s 37 year TV run as well as some interesting comments. John Barrowman wisely noted how a lot of modern day companions are influenced by Sarah Jane and it’s easy to see where he’s coming from as well and David Tennant lamented about the character being part of his childhood.

Most touching was Barney Edwards talking about the celebration of the character’s impact (and the actress) as opposed to mourning her loss but I did get a laugh out of Katy Manning labelling Sarah Jane the ultimate Who girl (or something to that effect). Definitely the highlight of the 15 minutes here.

- Lots of clips were used from both Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures but none from K9 And Company.
- Nice use of Adele and Elvis Costello here, musically.
- Poor Daniel Anthony and Tommy Knight looked drained during this.
- Shame Tom Baker didn’t make a contribution but what he had written about Elisabeth Sladen was lovely.

Definitely worth watching but an all too sad a reminder that one of the most iconic and influence companions is sadly no longer with us. Fandom is a sadder place without our Sarah Jane Smith.

A Tear, Sarah Jane?

I don't usually do blogs about deaths but like many Doctor Who/The Sarah Jane Adventures fans, I was saddened and shocked to hear that actress Elisabeth Sladen has passed away. The actress, 63 died of cancer yesterday morning and had been ill for months. She is the second companion actor to have passed away this year, following the death of Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier) in February.

I didn't grow up with the Classic Series but once I had seen Sarah Jane Smith in School Reunion and watched her subsequent stories with the Third and Fourth Doctors, I knew there was something about the character and actress that struck a chord and her own foray into a spin-off series gave the character a much needed new audience and to paraphrase the lovely Miss Smith, no one is ever going to forget you.

A true legend sadly no longer with us. I don't know whether the filmed segments of Series 5 of The Sarah Jane Adventures will air either but DWM will be dedicating an issue to the actress later in the year while Doctor Who will also be doing a tribute as well.

My Review of The Sarah Jane Adventures 4x06: "Goodbye Sarah Jane Smith"

Written by Gareth Roberts And Clayton Hickman
Directed by Joss Agnew

Ruby (to Sarah Jane/Clyde/Rani): “I’m afraid not. This is where the adventures. Yours, not mine.”

Thank goodness it’s been long since confirmed that this show will be returning in 2011 for a fifth series or otherwise, “Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith” really would’ve felt like the end of the road for the Bannerman Road gang. Hell, we even had the reminder that no-one is irreplaceable drilling through our heads in this story as well.

Sarah Jane’s been fighting off alien menaces for quite a long time now that at some point, it would have to be looked into as to whether or not she could carry on. Sarah Jane might be able to prevent a lot of things but ageing ain’t one of them and the idea of someone similarly fighting the good fight would be another.

I guess it was obvious that Ruby White would turn out to be too good to be true. She was a direct parallel of Sarah Jane – smartly dressed, initially standoffish and packing some impressive alien tech, which also included the equivalent of her own alien computer in the shape of Mr White.

Add to the fact both Clyde and Rani themselves couldn’t help but compare/notice the similarities between Sarah Jane and Ruby and the whole thing was set in stone. Sarah Jane felt like she was beginning to lose herself and Ruby was conveniently there to pick up the pieces.

Forgetting the sonic lipstick when facing the Dark Horde was a bad moment for Sarah Jane as it gave Ruby the opportunity to play hero with saving Clyde and Rani’s lives but it also meant that Ruby could get closer to Sarah Jane to really put her plans into effect as well. And yes, I totally saw Ruby’s true colours emerging.

In fact, I was damn tempted to scream at my screen when Sarah Jane gave Ruby control over Mr Smith and given that Julie Graham isn’t one of my favourite actresses, I was surprised with how much I enjoyed the hammy moments with Ruby in this entire story.

Ruby’s turn as she revealed to Sarah Jane that she had been sucking the life form out of her managed to retain some menace even if it was rather hammy as well but it also came to show how much trouble Sarah Jane had unwittingly become in. I know Sarah Jane would eventually defeat Ruby with some help but there was some nice touch and go moments in this one as well.

First of all was the fact that Mr Smith tried to alert Clyde to the real identity of Ruby, which only ended up in Clyde getting locked in a prison ship and then there were Rani’s attempts of placating the Katesh creature whilst Luke and K9 banded together to put Mr White out of commission and regain control over Mr Smith.

The final couple of scenes in this story weren’t too conflicting. Ruby’s desire for chaos at the expense of Sarah Jane and the gang was never going to end well for her but the fact that she was stupid enough to underestimate all of them also did help matters. For a creature adept at faking meteor landing and having Sarah Jane doubt herself so heavily, Ruby really did come a cropper in the end.

Of course, there’s no fear in Ruby in actually being destroyed. While she’s still alive and seething on her prison ship, I can only assume that Julie Graham will somehow reappear in the next series and after three series of the Trickster, perhaps Ruby will be another ongoing foe for Sarah Jane to have to deal with. The writers could have a lot of fun with her as a recurring foe.

As for a lot of the other stuff, taking out the seriousness of Sarah Jane’s plight, I’ve got to use this review as an opportunity to heap praise on Gita Chandra. While Ruby had both Clyde and Rani initially convinced that Sarah Jane had done a runner, Gita herself used the logic of maternal instinct as a means of debunking that theory.

I could say it was Gita just being her usual hopeful self but a part of me wonders if there’s something inside Gita that’s trying to remember all her alien encounters and knowledge of who Sarah Jane really is. I’m still convinced that wiping Gita’s memory was a bad move and one that could have consequences and perhaps this was a hint of that.

As for Luke – it was nice to see him back for a full appearance in this story but it’s almost like he is no longer a part of the series if that makes sense. Yes, he was instrumental in Ruby’s downfall but I guess that I’ve gotten so used to not seeing him that it felt a little strange seeing him again.

Also in “Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith”

Sarah Jane ended the story with another one of those ‘life is a big adventure on Earth’ type of speeches.

Sarah Jane: “What are you doing here?”
Ruby: “Saving the world. All in a good day’s work. Goodbye.”

Ruby was largely decked out in red for the whole story and had a sports car. Oh and her was similarly styled like Sarah Jane’s.

Sarah Jane (to Ruby): “You’ve lead a normal life. Nothing’s been normal for me.”

Ruby: “We’re all going to miss you Sarah Jane and your little chums. Wonderful, brilliant Rani, amazing, plucky Clyde. Oh and your son, Lukey, Lukey Pukey. Oh but you don’t want these, your mind’s made up. No looking back, no goodbyes, you’re a hard woman, Sarah Jane. What am I gonna tell these kids?”

Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman previously wrote the 2009 Comic Relief sketch together for the series.

Ruby: “Enjoying the show?”
Sarah Jane (re kids): “They’ll find a way to stop you.”
Ruby: “The hope of the dying tastes so sweet.”

Luke: “You can’t.”
Rani: “It’s the only way or Clyde and Sarah Jane will die.”

Ruby’s prison ship looked pretty similar to the Sontaran ship, except for the white interior of course.

Sarah Jane: “Ruby, you made a big mistake coming here. What we do, it isn’t for the thrills. It’s not yours to take.”
Ruby: “Sarah Jane, I underestimated you.”

Chronology: Late 2010, though none is really specified.

“Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith” is arguably the strongest of the four finales we’ve had and definitely a satisfying end to a series that has certainly come into it’s own over the last few weeks.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of The Sarah Jane Adventures 4x05: "Lost In Time"

Written by Rupert Laight
Directed by Joss Agnew

Clyde (to Miss Wyckham/German Soldiers): “People like you disgust me. You hate and you fear anyone who isn’t the same as you but we’re British and we will fight you every step of the way.”

And for this week only, we get not one but three stories all together. Who needs a TARDIS when you’ve got a mysterious shopkeeper, his parrot and a time window at the ready? The only thing now would be getting Sarah Jane, Clyde and Rani within touching distance of the time window but even there, the Shopkeeper was clever by using a local alien story to lure the three of them into his domain.

I think the most surprising thing about this entire story is actually the Shopkeeper himself. Every story has an alien menace and whilst this guy is alien (or possibly human with alien technology); he’s never villainous within both parts of the story. That in of itself has to be a record for the series.

He might have been slightly underhanded in the way he got Sarah Jane, Clyde and Rani’s attention but points to him for at least giving them all a purpose while sending them to three different time periods – objects to prevent the destruction of Earth via the time vortex itself. It just would’ve been nicer if had given them a choice in their places of travels.

I didn’t exactly envy Clyde being sent to 1941 in order to get his object but on the other hand, there aren’t that many shows aimed for children that are willing to deal with Nazis invading England and while the dialogue could’ve gone into preachy mode, it’s actually kept well in check by Rupert Laight and Daniel Anthony alike.

Clyde befriended the young George Woods and managed to locate the item in question and even when they were both captured twice during the story; both of them used their wits to get Clyde’s desired object for the Shopkeeper. The German soldier characters were a little on the one dimensional side but even I was a little surprised by Miss Wyckham turning out to be a spy for them.

Clyde’s own courageousness in this story ended up having a detrimental effect on George towards the end but it’s interesting that he was also the first person to successfully complete his task as well. Okay, Rani might have acquired her object before Clyde managed to get his but she stayed somewhat longer than needed for the mission.

Speaking of Rani, she possibly won out for the best of the three storylines given that she had the honour of becoming Lady Jane Grey’s lady in waiting and somewhat angel in the process whilst in 1553. Yes, Rani’s always had a lovely quality about her but now it’s officially canon that she’s otherworldly. Okay, I’m joking but I don’t blame either Lady Jane or servant Ellen for thinking that Rani wasn’t human.

Every time we meet an established historical figure or are thrown into historical events, there’s a blazing reminder that fate cannot be changed. Pompeii still had to fall, Vincent Van Gogh would still end up taking his own life and of course, Lady Grey through no fault of her own would also end up dead.

Rani knew that she couldn’t alter the fact but it didn’t stop her from preventing Lady Matilda’s ill conceived attempts of martyrdom for Jane and it didn’t stop her from comforting the nine day Queen either. It was nice to see Rani doing her best to give the tragic queen some comfort even if she was powerless to change the poor girl’s fate at the same time.

However it did seem that Sarah Jane was able to change fate through her own companion, Emily in this story when she stuck in 1889. Emily definitely fitted the role perfectly and while Sarah Jane’s dismissive attitude towards ghosts wasn’t helpful at the start, it was nice to see the both of them working as a team and figuring out that the voices from the future were belonging to an errant babysitter and two tragic kids doomed to die.

I’m not exactly sure why or how Sarah Jane was able to prevent their deaths but I guess even for this show, it might have gotten away with two kids dying in a fire. Plus I also enjoyed the twist of Emily using her granddaughter, Angela to give Sarah Jane the last object at the very last minute in the present.

Now the only real mystery of this story was – who the hell was the Shopkeeper and was that parrot really his superior? Also we didn’t know why exactly it was those three objects that were key into stopping the Earth from being destroyed either but given that the series is due for a fifth series, there’s a good chance that the Shopkeeper might make a return visit to Bannerman Road.

Also in “Lost In Time”

Clyde seemed to be dressed more grown up in this story. Then again, it’s not improbable for some 17 year olds to own a leather jacket.

Sarah Jane: “How do you know my name?”
Shopkeeper: “Oh, I know a great many things.”

The objects were a hammer/weapon of sorts for Clyde, a dagger for Rani and a key for Sarah Jane.

Emily: “There are ghosts in this house. Everybody says so.”
Sarah Jane: “Just because everybody says so, it doesn’t make it true.”

Lady Grey: “How is this possible?”
Rani: “They’re dead clever where I come from.”

More hints this week on Clyde and Rani when Lady Grey pressed the latter over any males that she might fancy.

George: “We need to escape, don’t we?”
Clyde: “If you hadn’t noticed, we’re both tied up and locked in.”

Matilda (to Rani): “Lady Jane has not been saved. You’ve condemned her to die like a common traitor, forgotten and alone.”

The Doctor’s met Lady Grey in a story called “Nine Day Queen” beforehand. Emily became a doctor as she grew up and George specialised in radar development.

Emily (to Sarah Jane, re mobile phone): “I knew Mr Bell’s invention would catch on but a wireless telephone? The future must be very exciting.”

Lady Grey: “Are you truly of this world?”
Rani: “Don’t be daft, of course I am.”

Shopkeeper (to Sarah Jane): “I’d love to stay and chat but duty calls.”

Chronology: November 23rd 2010, seven days after this season ends, funnily enough.

Interesting story. “Lost In Time” gave us three nice little trips and whilst the time window looked similar to something from another show, I have to admit that Rupert Laight pulled off a superb story this week. Definitely one of the strongest from the series.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of The Sarah Jane Adventures 4x04: "The Empty Planet"

Written by Gareth Roberts
Directed by Ashley Way

Rani: “I wasn’t panicking.”
Clyde: “You were. So was I.”

Imagine the worst scenario ever – you’re one of two people left in the world. Well, Clyde and Rani really should’ve counted their lucky stars that they were left all alone on Earth with each other. It could’ve been worse. They could’ve been stuck with Chris Moyles and for Clyde that might not have been a favoured option.

Every series of this show has had a story where Sarah Jane herself is given a reduced role and the kids are left to face things by themselves. We’ve had “Whatever Happened To Sarah Jane”, “The Mark Of The Berserker”, “Mona Lisa’s Revenge” and now this interesting little gem as well.

With an energy trace that literally seemed undetectable at the start of the story, there was little wonder that it would then come into effect when everyone else disappeared and Clyde and Rani found themselves all alone. I love how this show continues not to patronise its younger audience by the way Clyde and Rani react to the situation.

They’re both scared with everyone gone, though their thoughts naturally focus on their respective families and Sarah Jane but they’re both also determined to figure out how to save everyone even if they’re both guilty of doubting their own abilities to do anything that could help.

The story might be short on guest characters but it’s certainly not short on keeping things moving. Okay, so the first half of the story does drag a little but given that Clyde and Rani are going through every possible scenario imaginable, it’s one of those few times when the slower pace isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Both Clyde and Rani address the possibility that everyone might be dead, which is a fair enough assumption but they also focus in on the fact that the technology isn’t there and that aircraft, cars and animals are all reasonably intact. And there’s the arrival of Gavin as well to make things a little bit more interesting.

Now I have to admit that as soon as I saw Gavin, I twigged that he would be both a) an alien of some sort and b) sort of responsible for everyone’s disappearance. The only thing I couldn’t figure out straightaway was whether or not he was friend or foe and his evasive nature when Rani and Clyde caught up with him certainly didn’t help matters.

It might have sounded like Clyde was being unkind about Gavin but I liked the fact that by noticing the lack of material possessions Gavin had at his aunt and uncle’s place meant that Clyde had the rationale to believe that something wasn’t quite right with the lad. I think Rani was slightly dismissive of it when she was trying to sympathise with Gavin’s miserable family life though.

With only two kids and an alien on Earth, the arrival of the red and yellow robots as well was something of a relief. Okay, I suppose it was obvious again that they would turn out not be villainous creatures – despite them holding everyone to ransom so they could get their “son and heir” but this show’s grey area approach to alien and machine life form (especially this season for some reason) is one of its biggest strengths.

It seemed that even with a countdown looming all over everyone that this story sort of wrapped itself up rather nicely. Gavin finally allowed himself to trust Rani and Clyde long enough so that he could learn of his true nature and when he did, Gavin gave them quite the honour before heading back to his own world.

With the whole world back to normal, I have to admit that the last few minutes are actually the highlight of the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong – I loved Clyde and Rani working together and the shipping vibes between them were really rather sweet but there’s something about the last five minutes that really stood.

First of all, Haresh stood out for me. The way he was eager to catch up with Rani before she went to sleep at the start of the story was telling but more so was him trying to coax the truth out of her about her real whereabouts. I think Haresh might get to the point where he actually finds out what Sarah Jane really does for a living and if/when he does, it had better not turn out the same way it did for Gita. Pulling that stunt once is bad, pulling it twice is plain wrong.

And then there’s Sarah Jane as well. Despite her incredibly reduced role in this story, her presence was still a part of it as well. Both Clyde and Rani were happy to tell her how much she’s changed their lives for the better but at the same time, both of them in spite of their own strengths do need her as well. Plus I liked the fact that Rani and Clyde’s friendship if nothing else is a nice way of showing us that they’re avoiding the same fate that befell Sarah Jane after she left the Doctor too.

Also in “The Empty Planet”

Originally the concept behind this story was destined as one of the 2009 specials for Doctor Who and Gavin made Clyde and Rani Lord and Lady alike.

Clyde: “I just made teas.”
Sarah Jane: “Well, good, cos this could be a late one.”

Both Clyde and Rani were supposed to have finished Great Expectations for school exams. Clyde’s description might not do him well in exams but it’s certainly a nice way of explaining the book nonetheless.

Clyde: “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Rani: “Sarah Jane would be more use to you.”

Gavin: “You’re aliens?”
Clyde: “Rani!”
Rani: “No, but we’ve met aliens. Fought aliens.”

Nice nod to the previous story with Clyde doing a comic strip of the Shansheeth. I also liked seeing Carla again, even if it was brief.

Rani: “We’re both just really nosy. That’s how we got into Sarah Jane’s life.”
Clyde: “She warned us off. Gave us the choice to go back and forget it all.”

Clyde: “You know what?”
Rani: “I’m about to find out.”
Clyde: “This whole thing makes even less sense than before there were any robots.”

Speaking of nods, there was another nice nod to Rani and Clyde being grounded by the Judoon from the last year, even if Clyde has already broken that rule.

Clyde: “I don’t like countdowns. There’s never anything good at the end of a countdown, except New Year’s and even that’s rubbish. I’m sorry. I make stupid jokes when I’m scared.”
Rani: “Yeah, I never noticed.”

Clyde: “Oh you want the sun too? You don’t ask for much, do you?”
Red Robot: “Give us son and heir.”

For the first time this series, this story was a Luke free zone. If he’s not in the next one, I’ll bet he’ll be in the finale.

Gavin: “Clyde, Rani, thank you. Earth was never my home, not really. It is your home and you’re lucky to have people that you love here.”

Clyde: “We’re not alone though, are we?”
Rani: “No, we got each other.”

Chronology: None is specified since the events of “Death Of The Doctor”.

“The Empty Planet” wasn’t my favourite this series but it’s certainly a watchable one, especially for the most part with Clyde and Rani moving things along nicely. Those two are definitely who you’d want around if something like this happened for real.

Rating: 7 out of 10.